The Times of India       30.12.2014 

Door-to-door garbage collection from January 31

NAVI MUMBAI: The civic body has decided to implement its door-to-door garbage collection plan from January 31. But the solid waste management department, under civic chief Abasaheb Jarhad's supervision, is yet to zero in on the first node from where the system will be started.

"It has been decided that the garbage collection in commercial and residential areas will start in phases from January 31. The process will start in a new node every fortnight and, in two months, the entire Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) region will have a systematic waste disposal scheme in place," said deputy municipal commissioner Dr Babasaheb Rajale.

A total of 119 vehicles, comprising compactors, dumpers and small tippers, will be used to transport the waste collected from all over the city.

The tippers will facilitate waste transportation from various internal areas to the compactors, which will take the garbage to the landfill site for further processing.

"The contractor and civic officials are conducting meetings to decide upon a foolproof waste collection and disposal system," added Rajale.

He added that the contractor has to ensure that not a single society or commercial establishment's waste collection is missed and, at the same time, the tonne of waste required by the contractor has to be met. "Say, the contractor has to collect 10 tonnes of waste from sector 17 of Vashi, then there has to be clear insight into the nature and amount of waste the particular sector will generate and the manner in which it will be collected," explained Rajale.

The proposal for collection and transportation of garbage at Rs 1,700 per metric tonne was cleared by the general body in early December.

 

The Times of India          30.12.2014 

Contractor sends garbage vans late, faces 50k fine

NASHIK: The garbage collection contractor of the Panchavati division will be fined Rs 50,000 for the delay in collecting garbage in the division on Sunday.

Garbage vans failed to reach the division and collect garbage till late in the morning. After the Municipal Corporation (NMC) health officer was informed, he went to the division and vans began collecting the garbage after 10am.

About the delay of the garbage vans, a source in the contractor's firm said that the garbage vans were low on diesel and due to unavailability, they procured diesel late in the morning.

Health officer, Sunil Bukane, said, "I have asked the divisional sanitary inspector of Panchavati to take action against the contractor for sending the garbage vans late. Garbage was not lifted in the division till 10am, as garbage vans did not get the diesel on time. All 35 garbage vans in the division did not have diesel. We charge Rs 1,500 for each garbage van for being late."

He said that the contractor is expected to fill fuel in all garbage vans a day earlier, as vans leave for garbage collection early in the morning. But all of a sudden all 35 vans were missing from the Panchavati division on Sunday morning. Noting this, the health officer was informed by his subordinates and the fuel was filled after his intervention.

"The contractors have to fill fuel in the vans one day earlier and they are aware of it. They will have to pay around Rs 50,000 for the delay," Bukane said.

Citizens often complain of various garbage-related issues including that of unattended garbage. The NMC has started an SMS system for citizens to lodge complaints, but these issues are yet to be resolved.